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Monday, February 23, 2009

questions

do you print your digital photos? where? i would like to have some of my photos printed to hang on my walls. where can i get a decent quality photo when it is printed to 8" x 10" or possibly 11" x 14" without costing me an arm and a leg?

i'm using about 71% of my storage space on blogger and i'm starting to panic. what do i do when i run out of space? (maybe it's a sign that i need to quit blogging? by the way, what is the life expectancy of a blog anyway?) i'd really like to keep my blog all in one place....does anyone have any suggestions on what to do? has anyone else had this problem?

any answers that you have would be much appreciated. :)

oh, and i'd like to say a huge thank you to all of you who left sweet and encouraging comments on my last post. you guys are the best! xo

128 comments:

Amanda - I am a photographer and digital scrapper. For both my pages and my prints (up to poster size, I have done) I use scrapbookpictures.com EXCLUSIVELY. They are the best priced, have great and dependable shipping, have remedied (and ate the cost of) a boo-boo on some digital pages. I really love their business. I found them through a scrapbooking community but they have remarkably good prices, fast shipping, and will print nearly anything I need anyway. I highly recommend them. Scrapbookpictures.com

A while back I sent out the same five pictures (a representative set) to most of the major online printing services. I found that Clark Colorlabs was the best quality at a good price. I have not printed anything larger than 4x6, though. They can be found at www.clarkcolor.com

Hi... I'm not a blogger, so I can't help you with your space usage, but I MUST say that I REALLY don't think it's a sign that you should stop blogging. PLEASE!!! I absolutely LOVE reading your blog- it's so inspirational. If you are tired of doing it and want to retire, that's one thing (I'd still be sad) but there MUST be a way to keep going if you want to! Sorry to sound panicky, but I really do glean a lot of artistic energy from your posts. (you light up my day!) On another note, I also haven't printed any digital photos, but recently I have heard quite a bit of positive word-of-mouth about snapfish.com. I think I'll be trying them out sometime soon. Good luck with these... :)

I've always used Costco, but I haven't needed large prints so I don't know how the quality if for those.As for storage space, I've heard if you store your pics on Picasa or Flikr instead of actually in blogger that it really helps with the memory issue (of course this is something I keep saying I'm going to do...just haven't gotten around to it yet!) :)

Reading these comments, I never knew there were so many options. I like MPIX.com . They have always done an awesome job on printing framable pictures, and will even frame them, but that does get pricy. I also use flickr to store my blog photos. Happy Printing!

i have no useful information but i too wanted to see what people were saying...good suggestions, and please please PLEASE keep blogging! i don't think i'd be able to go on without crazy mom quilts posts! thanks for your kind words on mine :)

I second Flickr. I plopped the $20 for the pro membership, and I believe storage is unlimited. Plus, if you ever were inclined to move your blog (self-hosted or whatever), then you wouldn't have to worry about moving all of your pictures because the references to Flickr would still be intact.

When I get prints, I usually do RitzPiz (www.ritzpix.com). You can upload to the website, and then just set it to pick up in a store nearby.

Winkflash.com has periodic specials where you can publish a photo book of up to 100 pages for about $28 with shipping. The quiality has been good for most of the books we have printed, only 1 was less than great. It would be a wonderful place to gather your pictures by topic, such as quilts, landscapes, family. I think there is one ongoing.

Hi, another photographer here. I have an account at WHCC which is a pro lab but honestly? - I order the majority of my prints from www.scrapbookpictures.com, too. Great quality and great prices (and flat-rate shipping to me here in Canada doesn't hurt, either!)

I am soooo going to make that stacked coins quilt. Thanks for the great tutorial!

Hubby is a professional photographer and used Mpix.com for several years - recently switched to White House Custom Color in the Twin Cities, I believe - whcc.com. Both are excellent, affordable and extremely fast.

WV = bedail. It's when you dangle something in front of someone to entice them. Like a ribbon for a kitten.

After we took a Mediterranean cruise in '05 I made several prints in 5 X 7, 8 x 10 and 11 x 14 at snapfish.com

I had taken the pics with a Canon Powershot A520. The quality was amazing for such an inexpensive cost. Fairly quick delivery too! And, when you order so much in merchandise they often give you a free print or other item!!

I have had many compliments on the prints which are framed and hanging in my family room (even from two people who are close to professionals and use higher quality camera equipment).KarenPS Love your blog, too!! Love all your quilts (I, too, am a quilter). I'm a subscriber to your blog!

Please don't quit the blog!! I love your quilts and your blog. Stick with us :) I need to find a digital processor myself. Walmart has been doing a horrible job and snapfish's shipping seems expensive.

for regular snapshot-type photos I use snapfish or apple ('cause I'm a Mac girl) but for better quality or larger format I use bighugelabs.com

can't help you with the answers to the other questions but they're good questions and now I'm curious...

as for the life expectancy of a blog my opinion is that when you're not getting enjoyment or satisfaction from your blog, maybe it's time to move on. if you're still finding it fulfilling then keep it up!

I've really been happy with Snapfish for my enlargements (I wait until they have a sale).

I always resize my pictures before uploading them to blogger to conserve space (they get thumbnailed anyway, so why put up the whole huge file?). I'm guessing once you run out of space you'd have to host your pictures somewhere else then link them to your blog - sounds kind of like a pain to me!

I would resize some of the pictures, that is what I started doing when I saw they were taking too much space... :)Sometimes I just make a capture of the pc screen with the picture on... when I do not need to much definition and the jpeg resulting is really small and good for uploading.love

First of all, you cannot quit blogging! I would be lost without you!!! You are seriously my inspiration to keep sewing! You just can't leave us!

And also, I have always used Costco, easy and cheap. But, if you decide to go with Costco, know that the pictures tend to come out a little darker than how you see them on the computer so I always go in and lighten mine a bit before printing them. But Costco is great.

Stop blogging??? Oh please don't! I can't help with all your storage and pic issues, I have used Costco and do like them also. Just a great big Thank you for all you do. ANd I love you pic with this posthugstricia

Didn't read all the comments so someone might have mentioned this, but you can use flickr for your photos instead. When they are uploaded you can just paste the photo's code (ask me if you don't know how) into your posts and the photo is in the post without being uploaded to blogger...

Another vote for Flickr. I paid the $20 and have one year of unlimited storage. Obviously I'll have to pay the $20 every year but ti's so worth it.

As for printing photos. Do you use an Apple computer? If so, get iPhoto if you don't have it already, It's seamless to print photos through it. And the customer service is top notch. I'm a huge fan of the photo books :)

Good questions! I don't have any other answers than what's been given, but I have wondered about using up space and then what! Hope you figure things out - it sounds like you aren't allowed to stop blogging :)

Wal-Mart, you can upload and have them printed to any location. It is good quality, you can also have them do a mug, mousepad, tshirts, etc. They will ship to any address. My daughter sends me photos to my local walmart all the time, I run in and get them, no cost for shipping to me at home!!

I don't know if they have them in america, but in england I go to 'Boots' the more you print the cheaper it gets, and you can do instant, 1 hour or 24 hour for really cheap, and they are great quality.

Hahaha! Look at the can of worms you've opened, you silly girl!!! Now, how are you going to make a decision with all those great recommendations??? I've used both Snapfish and Scrapbookpictures -- I needed an odd size at Christmas time and Scrapbookpictures was the only place that could help me out. They have a great selection of odd sizes. And, as others have stated, they have great customer service.

And AAACCCKKKKK! It most certainly IS NOT a sign that you should quit blogging. That's why I moved not to long after I started blogging -- I could see the writing on the wall. Maybe they have a small fee option for more storage? Or maybe your internet provider has a little bit of storage (we have comcast and they do). Like you, I've wondered what the life of a blog is ... will we still be here in 10 years? There are still some blogs around from 2000 and 2001. I've also wondered when were the first blogs???

I love love love mpix.com! It's a professional/ameture site. I love the fact that you can order just about any size (at a good price) and you can also get it on the best photo papers..my favorite right now is the metallic paper, it just looks so sharp and when light hits your image it's amazing! I also like the fact that you can get sillouhettes, books, posters, wall decals, trading cards, business cards...everything made out of your very own photos!!

We back up all photos on an external hard drive every few months or so. And I do print. Well, I'm trying to. I want to get albums up to date before I return to work, but I'm having too much fun quilting! I print most of my stuff, including enlargements, at London Drugs. I've been very happy with them.

I know that Amy from kahoogstad.blogspot.com has printed each year of her blog into a hard cover book. I'm not sure how she did it, but she has explained it in a few of her posts. She would probably be happy to point you in the right direction or answer any questions.

My husband and I use Shutterfly.com for all of our photo printing. We enlarged some of our honeymoon pictures into 16X20 and they came out great. I've also used them for photo books and cards and been super happy with the results. Good luck!

Completely unrelated, but wanted to let you know that I finished my Christmas quilt (remember, we almost had matching quilts)and it will be posted on my blog tomorrow afternoon. Just a heads up! Thanks for all your inspiration!

Costco was recommended to us by a photographer friend (he uses them for very large prints), and we've had good luck with that, both for price and quality. You can submit them online and pick them up at the store shortly after.

Also, another strong recommendation for using flickr to host your photos. You can put up a small number for free (100, I think?) and then upgrade to a $20-ish per year paid account if you want unlimited photos. I was so happy to stop wrestling with blogger & photos -- flickr works much better.

Costco can print in store up to 12x18 and I've had good results there. I take my flash drive in and order the pictures because the quality is better than when I've tried to upload them to Costco.com. At our Costco, my prints are done before I've finished getting a few groceries.

If you use Costco, I recommend getting an 8x10 "test" print with no color correction done on it and use that to calibrate how it looks on your monitor versus how they print it. Adjust your images accordingly and have tell the technicians you don't want any additional color correction by them.

Now, for REALLY good prints, I just go downstairs into my darkroom! (which has been neglected recently!)

I came across this idea on a blog the other day, Blog Books. http://blog2print.sharedbook.com/blogworld/printmyblog/index.htmlThis girl got one made, http://chookyblue.blogspot.com/2009/01/blog-book.htmlI'm thinking of doing one one day. Not sure if it is what you are after but a great idea.

I've been very happy with www.shutterfly.com for pictures throughout the years. I just got 11 8x10s printed to put up in our bedroom above the headboard. I like that they ship everything out pretty quickly, especially when I know it would be several days before I could get up to a local location to pick the pictures up. Good luck!!!

Hi! I don't have any ideas for places to print your photos individually... but you can get a book printed of your blog if that's what you want to keep....http://blog2print.sharedbook.com/blogworld/printmyblog/index.htmlHope this helps!!!

I have use shutterfly to print my photos and love it! It has a tool that tells you the biggest size your photo will print out to successfully. I have printed up to 11 x 14 and been very pleased.I don't blog, so I have no answer about that, sorry.Please don't quit! Your blog is one of my favorite places to visit. You are so inspiring!Have a great day.Donnelly

I should ask J about what to do about your blog situation. I love reading your blog, though, so I too would be sad if you stopped. I love seeing all your projects. As far as pictures go, I am absolutely no help at all. I NEVER print my pictures. I really should, but....

HI Amanda! I was thinking about teh blog life expectancy the other day too. Squarespace.com is another blog hosting thing and I was reading through it the other day. They will move your blog to their site and everything is backed up and transfered. I don't know the storeage size though. Heather Ross uses squarespace.com...as does the Purl Bee. You would be in fine company! Please don't stop blogging. You are a daily stop and read for me.

I've used snapfish alot. They do specials periodically and you can get photos printed really cheaply. I've done a poster size print there and it came out great (it is framed on our wall!).That said, I may have to go look around at all of the other great suggestions from these comments!Really enjoy your blog - don't stop!

Don't quit blogging! I love your blog! My suggestion to your blog storage problem would be to move your blog to WordPress.com. They have an import tool that will import all your posts, pictures, comments and tags from blogger, and they have 3GB of space for free, which should last you a while. And if you use all that space up, you can add extra for fairly cheap ($20 a year for 5GB extra). I used the import tool today and it is fairly quick and painless.

Can't help much on the photo print issue since I print so few and usually just do my own on my printer. My scrapbooker DIL uses Kodak. She downloads and orders what she wants from her online albums.

As for the blog thing, it seems to me that the solution would be to start a new one with a link to your old one. The new address would mean a whole new blogger account for your photos & posts giving you years of bloggy goodness. Those of us who are regulars would just add your new blog to our reader.

Wow, you have so many comments. I am not taking time to read them all. Someone might have answered this for you. I hit my blogger space limit over a year ago.. might be two years. I can't remember. Now I pay for blogger. It's only $20/year. I get 1 gb of space (per year?). I'm only at 15% useage, and I have posted zillions of pictures. So once you start paying, the space issue sort of goes away.

I'm not sure what the life expectancy of a blog is, but make sure you have it all backed up somewhere! I started a blog, but then something happened, so all was lost.(It was on blogger, and I e-mailed them with no response back)I get our pictures printed at Walmart. Not sure what the price for bigger prints would be!Love your blog!

I digitally scrapbook and print at Costco (only local place I could find that would print 12x12 and 8x8). I love how well they turn out. I've used snapfish.com for 4x7s to 11x14. the 4x7s are okay when snapfish prints and ships them (I've sinced started picking them up from walgreens and they're better), but the 11x14 from snapfish was a huge disappointment. color was off and the entire photo was slightly blurry. very frustrating.

You know you can't quit...We love your blogging. I have all my photos on Picasa. I go there and click on the photo I want to blog and there it is. About printing pics I haven't done big ones but the 4x6 I do them right from my computer.

Amanda Jean, I am way too new to blogging to offer advice, but I will tell you that I ♥ your blog. I read it daily.... it's like a good cup of coffee. Thank you for taking the time to blog and sharing yourself and your creativity with us. I have practically taught myself to quilt using your blog. Girl, do what ever you have to do in order to keep blogging!!! (is that being selfish???)

I highly recommend Costco, and with that kind of weather, they will mail it to you!I had hard cover books made for different occasions and they are on my coffee table and everybody can look at them.I had montage... real nice.I had CDs mail to my family in Canada, I had Christmas cards done, I had stamps, name it, I did just about everything and it was always top of the line! You can have nice print in black and white on canvas... real nice to frame!helenejohnson11263@yahoo.com

I use Costco. I usually go in the store because I can never get the web download to work for me. IF you do use them just make sure to mark the box telling them not to auto adjust your colors, unless you want them to. Mine always turn out great and I love the price.

So many suggestions. I've always wanted to try mpix, but haven't yet. I think I will sometime soon, though. I either send stuff to Target one-hour (when it's just stuff for me, it's fast, cheap and always true to color) but for my professional (portrait) photography I send stuff to Costco. I know a lot of professional photographers do as well. Also, there is a service out there that will take your blog and put it into a book for you, if you so choose. I too am starting to rack up the space on my google account. I need to be better about linking to the pictures on my Flickr, but it's such a pain in the butt when you have more than one picture to link to. You can also buy more space from Google, for a yearly fee.

I have prints 2 blog books thru the links here ( http://blog2print.sharedbook.com/blogworld/printmyblog/index.html ) at blog2print......they have come back beautiful......since I printed mine they now take 1000 photos per book.........it is very easy to use....I didn't include any comments that would be too many pages........

Also if you email your pics to your blog they would go smaller.......I have a link on my sidebar how to do this........I started doing this when I was having trouble uploading photos to my blog.....so so quick.......send off my email and nearly by the time I log into blogger and go to edit my post it is there........

A. I never realized that there were so many options...B. I use flickr to store my photos.C. My photography isn't that great... But I have used flickr's "developing" sevice & I am happy with the results... (4x6 & wallets mostly.)

I have always pritned my own pictures using my photo printer. I have some great 5x7 and 8x10s from Europe. If you dont' have a photo printer, perhaps a friend or neighbor does? This is the least expensive way to do it.

As for the life of a blog, I don't think it has a life expectancy. I think you can blog until the day you die. But a thought is to have your own webiste. I have a blogging friend who did this which allows her more storage space adn more creative control. Not sure on the specifics of what she did but she's very happy with it.

NOt sure if anyone else suggested it and I'm too sleep deprived to read all the comments (new baby) - I use mpix.com - great quality and great prices. Try them! I have a 16x20 over my fireplace and it's wonderful and didn't cost me an arm and a leg.

I backup my photos on an external hard drive, since I use a laptop and don't want to lose anything. Most of the artwork in our house is photos I've taken and printed (from 8x10 to 20x22). I have them printed at a professional camera company because of the higher quality and care they give.

Costco does great with large prints. I had some enlargements done of my munchkins - 11 x 17, I think - and I was really happy with them. Plus they arrived in only two days. Almost instant gratification...

I checked the beautiful picture on this post and it is on your blog. If it was on Flickr, your would have its place available for something else. One way to clean some storage place is to go back through your old posts and replace the images on your blog with the ones you uploaded on Flickr.

It will be time consuming but it will be great for your blog life expectancy.

I use Costco -- I don't think they do free shipping unless you have a big order, but you can save your pics for years (I have some from 2004) which is great when your comptuer crashes and you lose everyting!! I make photo calendars there for gifts every year and they turn out nice for only $9.99 each. I have done a few enlargements -- I usually pick up at my store to save on shipping costs. I like the quality.

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